Why Do You Do It?

Why do you do what you do? Studying God's Word, pray, worship, go to church and ministry opportunities...why?? The motivation of your heart must be placed on check. I often search my own heart to make sure I don't run off course and quickly repent and make adjustments when needed.

Here's where we can get it wrong. When things are simply done for conscious sake or to deserve the love of God, we've missed it. You see... at Salvation, the greatest price was paid to wipe your conscience clean and eradicate every sin you ever committed. Yes, we must continually seek purity and repent of the sins we continue to commit but that's not to earn a badge of holiness or move God's hand to love us more... He is love! Pure, unadulterated love and nothing we can do can cause that to increase. His agape love is absolute perfection at its conception! 

So, why do I continually encourage you to seek Jesus, study His Word, surrender all, do His will, live for Him, and crucify your flesh? You can't fully recognize or appreciate such love unless your focus is on Him, and you get close enough to fully receive it. I could have a long distance relationship with my husband and he can tell me every day how much he loves me over the phone and really mean it, but until I go to where he is, look into his eyes, feel his arms wrap around me, and hold me tight and begin to do life with him, I haven't experienced that love. It's head knowledge and not a true heart experience. The relationship must be kindled not because I'm forced to, but because I love him, desire to please him, get to know him better and spend intimate time with him.

That's the difference between Old Testament law and New Testament grace... at the point of Salvation, the greatest sacrifice was made but I grow and develop that relationship because the passion of my heart and the greatest blessing in my life is to come to know the one who gave everything for me!! I don't do it to earn His love but because He is my Love!  

Don't let the enemy convince you that you are undeserving of such love. Press through the lies and get close enough to realize and experience it for yourself... it was there all along, and it's been waiting for you! He was never once waiting for you to deserve it but as you draw closer, His grace gives you the ability to become all that He's calling you to be! 

1 John 4:16 (NKJV) And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

James 4:8 (KJV) Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Ephesians 2:8-10 (AMP) For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation]. For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].

Zechariah 4:6 (KJV) Then he answered and spoke unto me, saying, “This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ saith the Lord of hosts.

Romans 12:2 (KJV) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Philippians 1:6 (KJV) being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

2 Corinthians 15-17 (NLT)  He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!